For over 55 years, Queen of the Valley Medical Center has served the greater Napa Valley area as the region’s largest, most comprehensive health care facility. Our reputation for excellence, on par with well-known university hospitals, consistently attracts high caliber health care professionals. Backed by state-of-the-art facilities and leading edge technology, our outstanding medical team ensures Napa Valley residents the best care possible close to home.

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Queen of the Valley Medical Center has been serving Napa Valley residents since being founded in 1958. Our staff is highly trained and is of the highest caliber – led by award-winning physicians and nurses. We are backed by cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art facilities, which when paired with our distinguished doctors, allows us to provide the best possible medical care close to home.

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Our range of advanced specialty services is comparable in quality and scope to those offered by university and urban-based hospitals, and our accreditation and outcomes ratings are as high as or higher than those of major Bay Area teaching hospitals.
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Queen of the Valley Foundation was established in 1969 by a group of local residents who wanted to ensure ongoing, locally managed support for quality medical care in our community. They knew that a financially healthy Medical Center was vital to the future of the place they called home.

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Audiology

Audiology

Sound Advice on Hearing

For many of us, that's a common question. Nearly 30 million Americans
have some form of hearing loss, including one of every three people ages
65 to 75. Yet just a fraction of us seek help. Why?

For one thing, hearing loss is invisible. Age-related hearing trouble sneaks
up over 10 or 20 years. People may not notice the changes.

"They're hearing a lot of sounds. They're just not hearing
them as much as they should," says Dennis Hampton, Ph.D., an audiologist
at Westchester Audiology Center n White Plains, N.Y. "The description
I get often is that, 'I can hear people fine. They're just not
being clear enough.'"

But there's another reason: Hearing impairment carries a stigma. Many
of us resist the idea of hearing loss, seeing it as a sign of age.

That could explain why just one in five people who need a hearing aid actually
wears one-even though technology has made hearing aids much more effective.
Most of us wait an average of five to seven years from the time we recognize
hearing problems to the time we seek medical help.

How hearing fails

Your hearing can suffer in two main ways:

Conductive hearing loss results when transmission of sound in the inner
ear from the eardrum to the oval window of the cochlea is inhibited. This
may be caused by a variety of conditions, including scarring of the eardrum
(TM), perforation of the TM, scarring or destruction of the ossicles (three
bones of the inner ear that conduct sound from the ear drum to the oval
window), fluid or mucus in the middle ear or calcification closing the
oval window. Infections of the middle ear are frequent causes of conductive loss.

Sensorineural hearing loss, or nerve loss, involves inner-ear damage. It's
the most common form of hearing loss in older Americans. The three main
causes, according to Dr. Hampton, are aging, loud noises and heredity.

If you suspect your hearing range has decreased, you should see a doctor
who can diagnose the problem and recommend a treatment.

Why you must act

Hearing is a large part of communication. When you can't hear, you
begin to communicate less and less. You stop socializing.

"We see a much higher incidence of depression and loneliness due to
hearing loss," says Ms. Voll. "Hearing aids do work. If you're
worried about what they look like, don't. If you haven't seen
a hearing aid lately, it's probably because you can't see them
anymore."

A hearing aid primer

You can chose from several sizes and types of hearing aids. According to
Ms. Voll, nearly all sizes are compatible with new technologies.

Behind the ear

These sit over the ear with a customized earpiece. They're often suggested
for children because they're more water- and shock-resistant. But
they're also handy because the user can add listening accessories,
such as a wireless communication device. And they're used with severe
hearing loss because they can deliver power through larger transducers.

In the ear

These fit into the bowl-shaped opening just inside the ear. These one-piece
models, smaller than behind-the-ear types, use the ear's natural sound-collecting
properties.

In the canal (ITC) and completely in the canal (CIC)

Very small and hard to see, they're worn within the ear canal. "These
are the type that Bill Clinton wears that you didn't even know he
had," says Ms. Voll.

The technology

Hearing aids run the gamut from conventional to high-tech. Prices range
from $800 to $1,000 for economical custom-fitted models to $4,000 or more
for high-end devices with digital and programmable features. More than
half the hearing aids sold today use digital processing; three out of
four are programmable. The options:

Analog programmable

Easy-to-customize technology lets you modify amplification of different
frequency ranges through a computer. You can tailor such models closely
to your needs.

Digital programmable

Newer than the analog programmable models, these can be finely tailored
to the individual even more closely. They're more flexible and improve
understanding much better than the analog and somewhat better than the
analog programmable hearing aids but are more costly.

Conventional (analog)

These economical units offer good performance. But they're not the
best choice for those suffering from background noise interference. These
hearing aids are broadband amplifiers amplifying equally all frequency
ranges, background noise and speech. They are the least effective of the
hearing aids.